Visiting

While we were home for Christmas vacation we were able to see some old friends and visit with extended family. One night we went to Dean and Michelle's house. Sean and Anika came, too. We met little Leah for the first time, and found out that Anika is pregnant again. Soon we will all have two kids. It has been fun to watch each of our little families grow. I forgot to bring my camera that night, so I copied these pictures from Anika's blog. (I hope you don't mind, Anika!)



Terryn giving Lucy loves.




















Terryn and Kara had fun playing together. As you can see in the background, Josh only had eyes for the train set. I believe I have already mentioned that he is a little obsessed...



The whole gang together. We all knew each other in the Singles Branch, but since we've all been married, I don't think we've lived near each other for more than 6 months at a time. Dean and Michelle were off at school in Iowa for a few years, and now that they are back in Washington, we are in Texas, and Sean and Anika are in Vietnam. I'm so glad we are still able to get together when we're all home for holidays and things like that.

I was also able to spend an afternoon with my mom's sisters and my girl cousins on my mom's side. They always crack my up when we hang out. I love being able to spend time with them playing games, eating good food and talking and laughing. Alas, no pictures :(

I got to go do a puzzle with my good friend Megan from our old ward in Spanaway. I was great to just sit and talk while we did the puzzle and catch up on each other's lives. I miss being able to talk to her all the time.

I also go to spend an afternoon with some old friends that I grew up with. Alycia, Katherine, Beverli and I were in the same ward growing up, and I was roommates with Alicia and Katherine for a few years at college. When I got back from college, I taught seminary with Bev for the last few months of the school year. Alycia and Bev were bridesmaids at my wedding. We haven't all been in the same room together for many years now, and since Bev and I were in town for Christmas, we decided to have a little get together. It was so much fun!! We made pizzas for lunch, and just talked and talked and talked. And played a little Nertz, too.


I love catching up with old friends!

Playgroup Petting Zoo

Our ward has a playgroup that we have attended since we moved here over a year ago. Josh has lots of fun playing with the kids, and I have really enjoyed being able to get to know the other moms. One of the ladies that comes to playgroup with her granddaughter lives out in the country. Years ago, she started a pony ride and petting zoo business to pay for her sons' missions. She has since stopped the business, but still has some animals on their property. So for playgroup this past Monday, we all went out to her house to ride the pony and feed and pet the animals.



Waiting for their turn to ride the pony.





One of Josh's favorite things to do is dig in the dirt, and there was plenty of dirt around for him to dig in.
Josh liked watching the other kids ride around on the pony, but when it came time for his turn to get on, he decided he didn't like ponies after all. Instead, we took the lead rope and Josh lead the pony around the ring for about half a loop, then we tried to put him in the saddle again, but Josh was having none of that. He did reach out and pet the pony, though.


























Even Lucy got to ride the pony. She was fine when it was moving, but as soon as the pony would stop, she started to cry.













Next was petting the bunny. This was probably Josh's favorite. He was sad when it was time to put the bunny back in the hutch.





Then we fed the goats and sheep.


















And finally, we fed the chickens and ducks.







Josh really liked the duck, too.





It was a beautiful day to be out in the country, and Josh had a great time with all the animals. I'm so glad we were able to go!

Swimming!

We went swimming with some friends yesterday and had a great time. There's nothing quite like swimming to beat the heat. Josh just LOVES being in the water, and we recently got him some floaties to help him be more independent in the pool.



His favorite thing to do at the pool is to jump in!





























Jump. Swim. Climb out. Repeat.






Our friend Melanie with Bryson, Annabelle, and Josh. Thanks for a fun afternoon!

Baby Kara's Blessing

On March 1st we went to see our friends' baby be blessed. They are from here, but have lived in Iowa the past 3 years or so for school. They were back in Washington interviewing for jobs and we were so glad to be able to spend a little time with them. It was a beautiful blessing and we felt privileged to be part of it.



Adam, me, Josh, Sean, Anika, Tarryn, Dean, Kara and Michelle.

The next afternoon, we all met up at Sean and Anika's house to have dinner and play games. It was so much fun hanging out with everyone and playing with the babies. We can't wait until they move back here in a few months! We also send them our love and prayers as they go through some tough times right now. We love you guys!

Little friends

Our friends Dustin and Holly have a little girl, Mya, who is a year older than Joshua. They live around the corner, so it has been really handy to trade babysitting with them. Joshua loves playing with Mya when she comes over.



Last time Mya was over, I noticed an interesting phenomenon in energy requirements in the care of multiple children.

Here is a little equation for you: E = C^x where (E) is the energy required to care for (C) children as their number (x) increases. As you can see, the energy required increases exponentially as the number of children increases. So the energy required for two (2) children is not E = 2C. Rather, it is E = C² and the energy required for three (3) children is E = C³ etc.

But all that math mumbo jumbo aside, Joshua really enjoys playing with his little friends and we enjoy having Mya close by to play with.